Chapter 19 Ending at the Beginning: Prenatal Theological Anthropology and Pregnancy Loss Memorials in Japanese Buddhism and American Catholicism
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Abstract
In comparative perspective, this chapter examines contemporary theological anthropology through the lens of American Catholic and Japanese Buddhist memorial practices related to pregnancy loss (i.e., miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion experiences marked by grief). These parallel practices have emerged within distinct religious landscapes, a fact that is reflected in both the forms and purposes of the memorial activities. By bringing these practices into dialogue with one another, this comparison demonstrates that though the American Catholic and Japanese Buddhist memorial practices confront the same basic problem – that is, the issue of pregnancy loss – they conceive of the problem in different terms, and as a result, propose different responses to it.